Did This Man Sink The Mary Rose?
For the first time in Portsmouth, the face of a member of the crew of the Mary Rose can be seen, thanks to advanced facial reconstruction techniques based on biomedical and archaeological research.
This Thursday 11th February 2010, will see a special unveiling in the Mary Rose Museum of the spectacular facial reconstruction of the Bosun from the Mary Rose.
First seen on display at the Hidden Treasures exhibition at Whitgift School in South Croydon, the reconstructed head of the Bosun has now been gifted to the Mary Rose Trust to be put on display in time for Half-Term, amongst the vast collection of everyday objects found on board the fated warship.
John Lippiett (Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust) commented that “it is great to have the opportunity to see what the Bosun looked like after all these years and to welcome his arrival in our Museum”.
The head has been modelled by the internationally renowned forensic artist Richard Neave and two of his colleagues, from a skull recovered from the wreck. Only a handful of the more than 500 crew and soldiers survived when the ship sank in July 1545 and Henry VIII was reported to have heard the screams of the drowning men as he helplessly stood and watched from Southsea Castle.
In a few cases it is possible to suggest the occupations of individuals by the scientific study of the skeleton and associated objects. This man was found with the emblem of his comparatively senior status, his Bosun's call - a whistle - suggesting he was the man who may have been at least partly responsible for the disaster.
There are many theories about why the ship sank, but evidence from the wreck itself suggests the ship put about with its gunports open, was hit by a squall and sank like a stone. Ensuring that the gunports were closed would have been the Bosun's job. The Mary Rose settled deep into the silty bed of the Solent, which preserved the many thousands of unique artefacts in excellent condition.
The Bosun's skull was typical of the preservation of the collection, providing a window into everyday Tudor life: the historian David Starkey has called the Mary Rose "England's Pompeii". The excellent condition of the human remains makes reconstruction relatively straightforward. Neave commented that “it was a pleasure to work on” and had “lots of character”.
Experts have analysed the skeleton and teeth, and concluded the man was in his late 30s or early 40s. Although doing a relatively sedentary job, his skeleton indicates he had previously undertaken heavy work, suggesting he had risen through the ranks. The teeth revealed that he came from south-west England.
Neave builds up the heads from his extensive database on the relationship between skull, muscles and features. Details of the Bosun's skin, hair and eyes are conjecture, based on research on Tudor styles, and his outdoor life.
A plaster cast was made of the skull, onto which the head was built. Measurements were pegged enabling facial muscles to be built up. Features such as eyes and ears were added next, followed by a thin layer of ‘fat’ and then a skin-like substance, made from a thin layer of clay. The acrylic eyes were prepared at the specialist NHS eye unit at Blackpool. "By his age the edge of the iris is less sharply defined, and the white more veined," Neave said, "and I think of him in the chaos of the gun deck in battle, scrubbing his eyes with his knuckles to try to clear his vision."
Thanks to Neave’s skills we are now able to see the face of a man who either struggled desperately to try to save the Mary Rose, or was responsible for the fatal error which led to her sinking.
